


The Arc of Ascension, Edda 13: Sapphire-eyed Mei

by bzarcher, solarbird



Series: Of Gods and Monsters [63]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Background Relationships, Conspiracy, Decisions, Developing Relationship, Difficult Decisions, Divided Loyalties, Ecopoint: China Sea, F/F, F/M, M/M, Oasis (Overwatch), Other, Post-Talon, Relationship Issues, Self-Sacrifice, Shifting Attitudes, Talon Angela "Mercy" Ziegler, Talon Lena "Tracer" Oxton, Talon Mei-Ling Zhou
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-09 07:11:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16445216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bzarcher/pseuds/bzarcher, https://archiveofourown.org/users/solarbird/pseuds/solarbird
Summary: The new gods have risen, ready to grapple with a world of heroes. Moira O'Deorain herself has been reborn, now made one of the creations her previous self meant to rule, and she works with her wife - the goddess Mercy - and their ensemble of new deities to remake the world, toimproveit... for everyone.As the Concordat and their allies prepare to move against the Siberian omnium, Mei-Ling Zhou finds that a decision once made - even rashly, even under poor circumstances - is not so easily unmade, particularly when everything suggests it was the right one.Of Gods and Monsters: The Arc of Ascensionis a continuance ofOf Gods and Monsters: The Arc of CreationandThe Armourer and the Living Weapon. It will be told in a series of eddas, sagas, interludes, fragments, texts, and cantos, all of which serve their individual purposes. To follow it as it appears,please subscribe to the series.





	1. The Goodwill Tour

_[Mid-July 2079]_

Mei-Ling Zhou waited with her senior staff, at the submarine docking bay airlock.

She found herself bouncing a bit on her feet, and couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous about their incoming guest.

After all, it wasn’t every day that you got a message saying Aleksandra Zaryanova would be stopping by to visit.

She wasn't entirely sure why, really - the propaganda purposes of the trip eluded her, if she was to be honest about it. Still, if Mei was going to be offered a chance to see her friend again - and most of all, see if she still _was_ her friend, as she had been - then she was going to take it.

Whetu's voice came over the speakers - "Docking complete; air pressure equalised; airlock opening in five seconds" - and the light over the doorway turned a traditional, and reassuring, green.

"Aleksandra? Are you..." she started to call, just in time to see the pink-haired woman lean forward through the opening door, garnet-eyes bright, flashing, taking in everything she could see.

"Mei-Ling! Hello!" the world's strongest goddess replied happily, after a moment, looking down at the scientist.

Mei grinned back and offered her hand, even if she was tempted to go for the hug instead. "Welcome to Ecopoint: China Sea! I'm so glad you've come to visit!"

Zarya nodded as she took a moment to look past the emergency airlock, and into the central atrium. "It is... spectacular! So much larger than the old Ecopoints, isn't it?"

"Absolutely," Mei replied, used to that by now. "It's a tremendous facility. I'm looking forward to showing you around."

"I'm just looking forward to catching up with you, myself," the Russian said. "It has been a _long_ time. And where is Snowball?"

"Back at my lab - I have work in progress so I left him monitoring the centrifuges. But I can bring him along to see you later!" _So far, so good_ , Mei thought as she smiled to the dour woman walking just behind the goddess. "And you are Dr. Alexina? It is a pleasure to meet you!"

Dr. Alexina seemed to peer for a moment at her eyes, then nodded and managed a small but genuine-looking smile. "And a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Zhou. I'm grateful you could accomodate us."

 _I suppose I don’t blame her for the assumption_ , Mei thought as she shook her hand. _She’s been in Oasis for a while, hasn’t she? She probably checks everybody._ "It is our honour to do so, doctor. I am a little surprised you've carved out time for this visit, with the," she tilted her head, a little, back and forth, "complexity of your upcoming schedule, but I'm glad you have. The Russians on our staff are particularly excited to meet you both."

Tatiana snorted, a little. "You are very polite. They are excited to meet _her_."

"I keep telling you, Tatiana - you should start lifting. You have potential!" Zarya grinned. "And a very good name for a bodybuilder."

"Stop it," she said, waving a hand dismissively, but with a bit of affection in her grimace.

Mei gave the doctor a friendly smile. “It’s always nice to get visitors from home - especially down here! Let me introduce you to our section heads, and then I'll escort your quarters so you can drop off your luggage. Do either of you need to rest before we begin the tour?"

"No," Zarya grinned. "Never, anymore."

 _Like Hana_ , Mei found herself thinking. _It must be nice._

"I napped on the submarine," the visiting doctor said. "Honestly, I am fine. We may begin as soon as it is convenient."

"Okay!" Mei said, turning to the rest of the delegation with a wave. "Let's start the introductions."

\-----

"I'm quite surprised," Dr. Sheung said, over dessert at dinner that evening, "how well-acquainted you are with micropolymer extraction from seawater. It's so new, and yet..."

Dr. Alexina smiled, graciously. "I'm already familiar with the effects of accumulation on the body - and your most recent paper was very well written. I found it quite easy to follow along, even if it is outside my immediate field. I've been thinking about medicinal applications ever since."

"You're very kind. Have you read..."

Mei - or, in terms of the public persona she had been keeping, Dr. Zhou, Respected Scientist - listened in as the two doctors dug further into research on the effects of micropolymer plastics on hormone processing in mammals. The rest of the senior staff had already either gone back to their labs, or more, to their quarters, after going all afternoon. Drs. Sheung and Alexina, however, had hit it off almost from the moment they were introduced. 

She'd been surprised how... personable the Russian doctor had been since she arrived. Lena and Hana had made it sound as though she were some sort of implacable functionary, but she seemed quite friendly. _Perhaps she's just less nervous, here, than in Oasis?_

Or perhaps it was a question of who she cared to impress.

Mei leaned over a little, towards her friend, quitely asking. "Zarya, I was wondering... could we talk, a bit, privately?"

Zarya turned, garnet eyes bright. They didn't really frighten Mei - none of them _really_ did, anymore. You could get used to goddesses being around, if you were alongside them long enough.

"I wouldn't mind a few minutes away from my _minder_ , either," she replied just as quietly, with a bit of an eyeroll. Then, at a more normal volume, she said, "I didn't see anything like a gym, on this tour. How do your scientists keep physically fit?"

"Well," Mei replied, "aside from the field work - which can be very taxing at times - we have a fitness centre. Would you like to see it?"

Zarya grinned broadly. "I would! Please tell me there are weights."

"There are,” Mei said with a giggle, “but I don't think they're enough for you!"

"They almost certainly are not,” Zarya said proudly. “But perhaps I could lift the machines. Dr. Alexina, do you mind if we go give it a look? I know you're not interested personally."

"Hm?" Tatiania turned mid-sentence, and looked over her charge. _Dr. Zhou is not one of **them** , and... she seems safe enough._ "No. Not at all. Please do. I will see you back in our quarters, later?"

"Absolutely. Major," she said, saluting, and the Major nodded, before returning to her conversation.

Mei smiled to her own colleague. "If you don't mind, Xiùlán?"

"No, Mei - go ahead, please." She knew they'd been friends, and Mei had told her in advance she'd hoped to pull the Russian away for a bit. "I'll see you at the staff meeting tomorrow?"

"Of course. Good night, Doctor."

"Good night."

The two women walked down the long, curved hallway, slowly, towards a set of open stairs down, Snowball floating between them in a lazy figure eight pattern. "The gym is on the bottom level," Mei said, making conversation, passing the time. "We focus on cardio, more than strength, really." 

"It makes sense. Circulatory system and heart health. All good," Zarya replied. "But how," she asked, as they reached the stairwell, "are _you_ , Mei?"

Mei’s laugh was genuine, but it held as much fatigue as cheer. "I wanted to ask you the same question."

"I imagined as much.” Zarya’s expression shifted to one of concern. “But... I have heard, of your struggles. How _are_ you?"

Mei sighed, and looked down, but kept going, reaching the bottom of the stairwell as she answered. "I am... okay. I am taking it one day at a time. But it is difficult."

"The front is much the same, I find," the sergeant said, surprisingly softly. "It is why I hope... this will end the war."

They made their way along the continuing, lower curve to the gymnasium, and walked in, finding it two research assistants on treadmills, headphones on, at the far end. Mei waved, and they waved back, before returning to their music and audiobook respectively.

"Was that why you went through with the Change?" she asked, knowing that much already, and hoping the implicit question would be answered, as well.

"Of course," the strongest person in the world replied. "And if you are also asking..." She shook her head, a little. "I do not regret it."

Mei hadn’t really expected any other answer, but she had to ask, had to be sure. "And after?"

That got a confused look. "After?"

Mei’s eyebrows rose. "After you win?"

Zarya chuckled. " _If_ we win. _If_ this works. I take nothing for granted."

" _When_ ," Mei insisted, "you win?" 

The Sergeant paused, for a moment, and shrugged. "Then... Russia will be saved from the omnium. We can have peace, at last. The battle would end."

Mei gave a little ‘hmm.’ "Then... Oasis? Like Hana?"

 _Ah_ , she thought. _I see._ "I don't think so. It would depend upon my government, and my army. I am a Sergeant Major, but... if they wish to release me from the service, then I will help rebuild Russia, however I can. It is my _country_. They are my _people_. And _that_ is what I value most." She looked around. The weights were... well, there were some. But hilariously small, for her. "That is what you really want to know, isn't it?"

"It was true before..."

Zarya walked over to the largest weights, and assembled the heaviest bar she could. She lifted it, slowly, playing with it, two fingers, not spinning it, lest the metal fail. Lifting it as a... human would, but with so much less effort. 120kg. Hardly worth the time, but cute, in its own way, and she put it back down.

"And it is still true now."

Mei nodded, and smiled, impressed by her strength - as she was by Hana's - but forewarned, and ready for it. "I'm glad."

"So am I."

"It would be nice if wars that ... go on forever ... could be won."

Zarya disassembled the barbell and put the pieces back where they belonged, and gave Mei a pointed look.

"Perhaps," she said, "they can."

\-----

«Take leave,» the doctor said, in Russian, «in late September. Come home.»

There were no Goddesses around, and Tatiana was fairly certain none of the other staff actually spoke her language. It was all English, Mandarin, and Cantonese, most of the time, and the small Russian Conversation meetup at lunchtime was missing its only non-Russian member, a researcher from Canada who had returned to Toronto to present her latest paper.

«...why?» asked the biochemist. «We have work to be doing, here.»

«Yes,» said the environmental geneticist. «We all have projects - important projects, for the world. We cannot just... pack up and leave.»

«Only for a few weeks. Take your vacation time. You have such a thing, don't you?»

«Of course, but none of us are scheduled for anything like that. We cannot just drop work mid-»

«Do it. Find someone to cover for you, to monitor your experiments, pick up your research. You all have lab assistants...»

«I _am_ a lab assistant,» the third Russian said.

«Things are going to happen in late September, back home. Important things. If all goes well... tremendously beneficial things, good for everyone. But...» She poked at her salad. Fresh salad. Down here. How?

_Perhaps we really should start financially backing these things after all, afterwards..._

«...but things could also go very wrong. If they do... you will want to be at home.»

«Major - none of us are army. Yes, some of us were drafted, and fought, but - we're out. You cannot order us home.»

«No, but I could reactivate your commissions and do exactly that.» She was bluffing - she could, but it would be too obvious a tell, and she would not risk _that_. «I swear to you, it is for your own good. And, god willing, everyone will be able to return in a few weeks, and your work can continue as if you'd never left.»

« _Why?_ » the lab assistant demanded. «What are you not telling us?»

«It is a state secret,» she said, glancing pointedly over to Zarya, who had gone over to pick up a second round of lunch, and then back. «Do not mention this to the Sergeant, please. I do not want her distracted from what will be coming. We are going to try something, and it must succeed - but if it does not... it would be best for you to be home.»

«I... see,» said the geneticist, slowly.

«Tell me this facility is not in danger,» the biochemist demanded. «And mean it.»

«It is not,» said the major. «At least, not from _us_.»

«I still want...»

«Sst!» the Major said, as the Sergeant turned back towards the group. «No mention of this. None. Just... do it.»

The two researchers and the lab assistant frowned, and looked at each other, but smiled for the Hero of Russia as she returned to the table, all smiles.

 _«This...»_ thought the geneticist, _«...this is not good.»_

After the Major and the Sergeant left, and a brief exchange of words between the three researchers, the geneticist went back to their office, and, after a moment's hesitation, but only a moment's, messaged Mei-Ling Zhou, flagged urgent.

"Dr. Zhou - we need to talk. Away from the delegation. Right now."

Elsewhere in the facility, Dr. Zhou looked at her padd as it vibrated, nodded, and smiled at her friend, and her friend's minder, both busily looking over the environmental control systems with the control systems engineer.

"I am sorry," she said, keeping her smile. "I have to check in with one of my lab assistants. It should not take very long, and I will be back soon."

"Of course, doctor," the major replied. "We have more than enough here to keep us occupied."

Dr. Zhou's stomach churned as she turned away from the two visitors, but she kept her expression calm, and placid. _Sometimes_ , she thought, _it is good to have experience at pretending to be okay when you are not._

\-----

"What are you planning?!" Mei-Ling demanded of her friend, or, at least, of the women she hoped was still her friend.

Zarya did not pretend not to understand. "Did the Major say something?"

The two women stood next to each other, around a door frame, out of sight, while Dr. Alexina inspected the hydroponic gardens. 

"To all the Russian staff, and _only_ to them. She told them to leave, in late September, for three weeks, and not to tell anyone why!"

Zarya’s eyebrows rose, as she scrambled to think. _That is unexpected. Oasis would not be **that** upset about a dead AI. They know it is a risk. If they know we caused it, they would be angry, but... perhaps... there is a danger which has not been shared with me...?_ "Are they leaving?"

Mei’s voice was full of steel. "No. _What are you planning?_ "

That got a frustrated sigh. "You _know_ what we are planning."

"Yes! And…?"

Zarya’s hand stabbed out towards the pressure hull. "And the Omnics have already sent one war machine here! Why do you think it would not send another?"

Mei frowned, and hesitated for a moment, before charging on ahead. "We're... we're monitoring for that, now. We know what it has, in..."

"No," her friend insisted, "you _don't_. None of us do. No, it will probably not launch a missile, and no, it probably will not send another digger, they are too slow, but... who knows what it _could_ do?"

The climatologist did not look convinced. "That's not all, is it."

Zarya grimaced as she turned away, pacing in a tight circle. "It is ... all I can say. My government... I have sworn to it, to my country, to my people. And my loyalties... are firm," she said, as much for herself as for Mei-Ling, as she came to a stop. She closed her eyes, and lowered her head. "I was going to warn you nonetheless, tomorrow, before we left."

Mei reached out to take her hand. "Warn me of _what?_ "

"Warn you to be ready for _whatever_ may happen. Whatever _could_ happen.” Zarya’s voice softened. “We do not think things will go badly here, even if things go wrong at home, but... there is a chance."

"Were you really going to warn me of that tomorrow?"

"Yes," Zarya said, meeting Mei's eyes, and for the first time, seemed to look _at_ her, not _through_ her. "I swear to you. I was. _Prepare._ "

That direct look was intimidating as hell, and Mei didn't see it often - but the goddesses looked _at_ you, she knew, when they _really_ meant it. But she held her ground, and returned it as best she could. "We will," Mei-Ling said, nodding. "This time... we _will_ be ready."

\-----

_I did not lie to her,_ Zarya thought, walking into the submarine's passenger bay, the airlock having cycled closed behind her, having given Mei and the Ecopoint staff her goodbyes. _Everything I said was absolutely true._

 _And... if she does decide to become one of... us_ , she continued, as she settled into her seat, _...they would never move against her. She **will** be safe, if things go... badly._

_And so will this Ecopoint._


	2. How secure is this channel, really?

_[A few days later]_

"Oh - Mei! This is, this is _wonderful_ news! When can you come in?"

Angela Ziegler knew that it couldn't be _right now_ , no matter how much she wished it could be, no matter how much she _wanted_ it to be, because she did understand research, and timetables, and experiments in progress, as well as anyone else on earth. But that didn't stop her from thinking of anything and everything they could do to help.

"Please, Angela - do not tell anyone yet. Not even your wives, or Dr. Ngcobo. I... I am not... I have not _completely_ made up my mind."

Angela hesitated at that, but nodded her agreement, after a moment. "There _must_ be questions you want answered, of course. I can provide - would _love_ to provide - any and all answers and reassurances. We could..."

"Not from you," Mei interjected, "...well, okay, I would want some promises made. No, there are... others, I want to see, to meet with, first. It may take a little time."

"Whenever you wish, Mei - we..." She blushed, a little. "We've been keeping... a bed warm, for you, more or less. We'd need new samples, of course, but everything else is on standby."

"That's why it was so hard to say no... last time?"

"A little of it, perhaps. But that's all over now." Angela beamed. "I'm _so glad_ you're... well. If not coming in, for certain, at least... strongly considering it."

"I was a little afraid, after last time, that the ... offer ... might no longer be on the table."

"Oh no, Mei. Not over something as simple - as easily correctable - as that." She caught herself. "Assuming, of course, you wish it to be..."

"I do." Mei said, plainly.

"Even for this, as long as you come in with a... whole mind... it does not _have_ to be. I... must make that clear."

"I... _really_... do."

Angela bounced a little, in the air, clapping her hands. "Oh, I can't _wait_. I think I'll find an excuse to refresh everything in your kit. I'm sure I can find one."

Mei smiled, a little, torn between amusement at Angela's excitement, and her sheer enthusiasm to have her... _with_ them. "I will - I will let you know, once I've made a final decision."

"Again, take all the time that you need, to be sure. If you can give us a little advance warning, that would be all the better, but..."

"August," the doctor replied, quietly. "If I understand your timetables correctly... mid-August. I'll want to be back here by late September, without fail."

_That's an interesting timeframe_ , thought the goddess of life. "Does that align with some experimental work?"

"Not really."

Mei gave it another moment's thought.

"How secure is this channel, _really?_ "

"Very," the doctor replied.

" _How_ very?"

"...would you like me to drop by, for a visit?"

"...yes," Mei nodded. "I think you should."

"I can be in Busan in twenty minutes, and..." She checked a couple of pages, and found that the standby transport submarine was, in fact, ready. "...there in three more hours. Not the most convenient time, for you, but..."

"It is okay," Dr. Zhou replied. "I'll let Whetu know, and... I will see you here, then."

"Let me send along some of our latest ideas for you," Angela said, eagerly. "We based them on your reactions to - well, that's not important. I think you'll like them _very_ much."

\-----

Dr. Ziegler flew out of the standby sub's exit hatch, and blinked, finding Mei awaiting her, already in the rather sizable disembarkment airlock. _Sensible_ , she thought, as she smiled, closing the hatch behind her, the standby sub idling, her nanite fleet flying ahead, confirming Dr. Zhou's complete sobriety. _Oh_ , she thought, _thank you, Mei, for being... all you._

"So," the doctor said. "Here I am." She looked around, finding nowhere to sit - but of course not, it's a cargo area, and she threw out two hardlight chairs, and a table. "Wouldn't this be rather more comfortable?"

Mei laughed, a little, as the furniture appeared. "I think it would! It is awfully late."

"So, Mei - what is wrong? What has changed your mind, and... why so _specific_ a schedule?"

_Well_ , Mei thought, taking a breath, _...let's get started..._

She relayed what she'd learned form Zarya, and from Dr. Alexina's comments to her researchers. Overwatch hadn't known anything - at least nothing they'd tell her - but said they'd continue paying careful attention to their Russian friends. And so, she relayed that, as well, and Angela listened, concentrating, and clearly concerned.

"They are... expecting something to go wrong," Mei concluded, at the end. "Zarya seemed to think it would be some sort of second omnium strike, here. Maybe revenge? Does an omnium think of revenge?"

"I don't know," Mercy replied, choosing her words with some degree of care. "But you being here, upgraded, _would_ improve the odds of - well, of everything, really. Certainly, of safety. You'd be able to encapsulate this entire structure, at will, and it would be..." She shook her head. "All but invulnerable."

"I know. I read it."

"Of course."

"I'm worried about the omnium, but... Zarya made a point of saying, be ready for _anything_. I do not think she just meant the AI."

"The Russians, then?"

"She did say 'state secret.' What if, what if they try to take the disabled AI from you?"

Angela laughed. "They'd fail. But I do not think they want it."

"Or destroy it?"

"We... have given that some thought. But we don't think they have a way to do that, without killing too many of their own troops, or contaminating too much of their own land - or without risking Aleksandra, and, well. Risk killing the Hero of Russia, in her moment of crowning victory?" She giggled. "We don't think so."

"I hope not," Mei agreed.

"And even were it that... they wouldn't let _Zarya_ know, surely. No," the goddess said, "I'll have to talk to Danielle to be sure, but... I do not see that being it."

"Then are they afraid of _you?_ "

"Afraid of me? Of _us?_ " Angela laughed. "Why? Even if they _were_ to create some miracle and take out the AI, we... would certainly be angry! But why would we attack _our own ecopoint?_ " She shook her head, bemused at the thought. "No, it's... nonsensical. I have to think there's some threat from the omnium itself. Something they aren't sharing. After all - they have far more experience with it than anyone else."

"That's true," Mei admitted. "It could be something that makes success much less likely, and..."

"And we'll need to adjust for that, absolutely. And also, be prepared for some sort of last-second ... massive weapon hidden inside the omnium. A _disaster_ weapon, perhaps," she realised, her eyes suddenly wider. _Oh no. It **could** be... a last act of revenge, couldn't it?_

"Mei, I will have to share this."

Mei waved her hand. "That's okay. Just... not the other part, yet."

"Absolutely. On that issue, you..." she smiled. "As far as I am concerned, you are now my patient. And I am your doctor. And your privacy is inviolate."

Mei giggled. "Okay! You are now my doctor."

Angela's smile felt as warm as sunlight. " _Thank you._ "

"You should head back, though, and I should get to bed. It is very late!"

"I understand. And I should share this information with our planning team as quickly as possible."

As Mei stood, Angela rose just above the ground, and unmade the two chars and table. She turned towards the submarine's entry hatch, before turning back, again, at the last moment.

"Mei - you've done us... and possibly the entire world... a _tremendous_ favour, today. It was true already, but... you should know... we _will_ protect you. One of us... or not."

"I think I already knew."

Angela flew back, took Mei's hand, and kissed it. "I cannot _wait_ for you to be reborn. It will be... wonderful."

Mei just nodded, and watched Angela, as she flew back to the entry hatch, opened it, and climbed inside, wings now folded, to fit the small space. Then, she waved, and left the disembarkment area, closing the airlock behind her, and securing it, given the sub clearance to leave.

As she walked back to her quarters, she felt lighter, and freer, than she had in far too long.

_But how_ , she thought, as she climbed into bed, _am I **ever** going to explain this to Hanzo?_


	3. a very long time, indeed

_[six months earlier - January, 2079]_

"Your medical staff have all the data from the physical examinations," Dr. Ziegler said, as she stood outside the embarkment airlock, the last to leave. "We'll be checking in every month, for the first six months, then drop back the frequency if all is going well. I know that some of your staff thinks it's going a bit overboard, but..."

"No," Dr. Zhou replied. "It's not. We're working in one of the most contaminated areas in the world. If anyone grumbles - I will remind them of that."

Angela smiled, and took Mei-Ling's hands. Mei still found it a little weird how handsy they were, but she'd talked to Lena and Hana about it, and at least understood it now. "Thank you, Mei. I'm... I'm so happy to be working with you again."

"I am happy to be working with you again, too, Angela. I'm really glad we were wrong."

"I am too." She squeezed Mei's hands, and let go. "Well!" she said, bouncing a little in the air. "The pilot is ready, and I should not keep them waiting. I suppose I am off."

"Have a safe trip back!" Mei said, smiling.

"I will! And - good luck!"

\-----

_[five months ago - February 2079]_

Snowball chirped a series of greeting tones as Dr. Ngcobo knocked on Mei-Ling's open office door. The climatologist blinked and jumped a little, broken out of her concentration, having got a bit too deep into her latest bit of peer review - work for a friend from the old Overwatch days, on mid-altitude atmospheric particulates - but she smiled, quickly, as she saw Michael, and waved him in.

"Michael!" She smiled, reflexively. Of all the gods, he had felt the most human, the entire time. Sure, he had wings, but - other than that. "You're early!"

"Am I?" he asked, looking at his watch. "I could come back..."

Snowball spun back and forth in the air as he let out a low buzzing tone, and Mei checked the clock. "Oh gosh! I guess I lost track of time!" She put down the padd, and the stylus she was using to make notes, and cleared away a little of her desk, to make more notes, should they be needed. "Sorry about that - please, come in!"

"Interesting paper, I take it?" He sat down on the larger of the two guest chairs, scooting it forward a bit, his wings behind the chair's back. "You seemed quote engrossed."

"Also difficult!" She nodded. "The reaction chains are _complicated_. But it's important work. I'll get through it."

Dr. Ngcobo smiled. "So, do you want the good news, or... well, really, there isn't any bad news. The good news or the dull news?"

"Definitely the good news," Mei giggled, and Snowball nodded, bobbing up and down on his repulsors.

"The good news is that there is no bad news, and so far, everyone is perfectly healthy. You may as well be living on the surface, for all it's showing up in the medical data." He poked a bit with his pad, displaying aggregate trending data across a variety of health axes, averaged across population, in the air between the two doctors. "I've advised a couple of people to spend more time in the exercise room..."

"I should do more of that," Mei agreed.

"...and Sangita is going to take us up on fixing her chronic tendonitis..."

Mei nodded. The systems manager had brought that in with her, and Mei had asked Michael to inquire.

"...which means she'll need to be gone for a few days next week. Whetu has approved the days off, and you'd already given the go-ahead, so she'll be going in on the Tuesday submarine to Busan. She'll be back on Saturday."

Mei tapped the desktop idly, approving. "Good! I'm glad. We'd talked - she manages it very well, but there are good and bad days, and it'd be much better if she didn't have to worry about it."

"I agree, obviously," he nodded. "Really, that's all there is to it. I've left the compiled data with your resident medical staff, but there's really very little for them _to_ handle. It's all quite straightforward."

"So,” Mei asked as she settled back in her chair. “What is the dull news?"

"Only that nothing has changed." He waved his right hand, airily. "It's only been a month, but everyone's data matches that recorded by Dr. Ziegler at move-in. No contamination issues, no surprises - all quite dull. Boring, even."

She couldn’t help but laugh a little. "So really, that's also good news!"

"Really, it is." He smiled, turned off the hovering display, and put back his padd. "Though... I do have one other update - but it's of a more personal nature."

Mei tilted her head, and looked momentarily worried until she figured out what he probably meant. "Did he...?"

"He said yes," Michael beamed, widely, and pulled out an envelope, small, but of heavy paper, with an invitation inside. "The wedding's in June. I hope you can make it. Hanzo is invited, as well - I hope he doesn't mind not getting a separate invitation. He's not an easy man to find."

Mei beamed back at her friend, taking the envelope. "Congratulations! I'm so happy for both of you! I will be there - and I'll do my best to drag him along, too."

Looking into the envelope, she pulled out the two invitations, and found there were not in fact two, but three. She looked at the third, confusedly, and then laughed.

"Snowball! You're invited too!"

"Of course!" Michael grinned.

She turned the invitation so Snowball could read it, and the bot gave a happy ‘bweee’ and danced in little circles as the both doctors laughed along.

\-----

_[Four months ago - March, 2079]_

"Everyone's medical results are quite satisfactory," Dr. O'Deorain said. "The contamination containment protocols seem to be performing according to expectations, and I'm finding no signs yet of mutagen activity, heavy-metals accumulation, or any other nasty little surprises."

Dr. Zhou and Dr. O'Deorain sat in the small 'garden' in the centre of the open atrium, in the centre of the former omnium, artificial sunlight beaming down overhead, simulating the local time of 2:15pm. There was no fake sun, but holograms extended the apparent size of the space, and the holographic sky reflected the real conditions up above the water.

"And, of course, no one is showing any signs of mental issues. At least, not for now," the goddess of the mind continued.

"Excuse me?" Mei asked, suddenly concerned. "Is there a reason to think..."

"No," Moira said, waving her left hand. "I'm sorry. I get ahead of myself. There's nothing unexpected and there are no abnormal risks," she continued. "Only the... normal ones."

"I think you're getting at something," Mei insisted. "What."

Moira conceded the point with a nod, and looked off to her left, at the small tree - _Punica granatum_ , she thought - next to her bench. "Your oldest researcher is Dr. Shào, at age 63. He's in good health and has another... ten, possibly fifteen active years left, most likely; more, if we have our way. You have far longer, of course - forty or fifty years, perhaps, depending upon how the effects of your long cryogenic sleep fall out."

"He plans to retire at 70," Mei said, "and so far, I'm fine. That is a long time off, though."

"Of course," said Moira, fingers running along the edges of the leaves of the budding shrub. "I suppose it is, but at the same time... it's not very long at all, is it?"

"For what?"

“For everything we are doing, Mei. All of us."

She turned, and leaned forward, her longer fingers together, at the tips.

"For everything we want to do, for everything _you_ want to do... this is the work of centuries, Mei. Not decades. No one human lifetime could be enough."

Mei thought about it for a moment, whispered a little "ah," and nodded. "It will take a long time," she agreed. "We can only get it started, none of us will live long enough to..."

"We will," Moira said matter of factly.

"What?" Mei blinked.

"We'll be there. And we'll keep at it, after you're gone, doing our best."

"You'll be there?"

"Could we muddle through? Of course... but we'd miss you. Terribly. It would not be the same as having the right hand - _your_ hand - there, gently and patiently tending the garden back to health.”

"You'll _be_ there?"

"We're all going to live a very long time, Mei. Angela has seen to that. Not forever, of course not, nobody does. Nothing does. But... a rather long time."

"I... see."

"Something to think about, perhaps," Moira said.

 _Yes_ , Mei thought. _It is._

\-----

_[Present day - Mid-July, 2079]_

"It's _not_ sudden!" Mei said. "We've _talked_ about this!"

"Not seriously," Hanzo replied. "Not... as I've understood it."

"You've been reading my reports. They're _fine_. You _know_ that. You've _met_ them. You were at Michael and Cadu's wedding! We've been... wrong." She shook her head at her boyfriend.

"We were _not_ wrong," he said, "...though I admit... things seem to have changed. But they could change back." He frowned. "This is far too big a step to take after so little time." He sighed, and looked down, to the side, for a moment. "Families can lie. Trust me, I know."

"I'm the one who has been living with them, I know, too! Particularly given what's happening" - she'd shared her suspicions about the Russian operation - "we _have to_ be ready. _I_ have to be ready! I can't… fall down again."

"You do not need their offer to stand strong," Hanzo said firmly. "I _know_ you can do it. It is hard, but that is part of the fight. Things worth achieving are _always_ difficult. If they are not difficult, then..."

"But why fight," Mei interrupted, "if there is no reason? Why make things harder when there is a clear answer?"

"Because it is not the _right way_." He shook his head. "Mei... Please. Perhaps you should take leave, for a little while. Come visit us. Come visit _me_. If you are so worried about the Russian operation, perhaps you should be _here_ , when it happens, instead."

Mei frowned. "My Russian staff is not leaving. None of them are! I am not about to leave them to... whatever might go wrong! I couldn't!"

"Then perhaps it would be better to bring them back. Perhaps the entire facility could stand down, temporarily, as a precaution."

"No," Mei's voice was firm. "We cannot shut down. The work we are doing matters too much! I know you are not a climate scientist, but I explain my work - don't you understand?"

Hanzo let out a reluctant sigh. "I do. Or, I think I do. But a break would not be disastrous, not given what you have said about how long this will all take. Sometimes, walking away - for a while, or for good - is the _correct_ response. I was made to be a killer for my clan - and, eventually, to lead it - but I walked away, because it was _right_."

She wanted to cross her arms and dig in, but she settled for just taking her glasses off a setting them on the desk. "This is _not_ the same."

"Isn't it? Or is it worse?"

Mei gestured towards her office door. “My staff are here because they trust me. Because I gave them my word this would be something special. Something safe!”

"I am not talking about the ecopoint, Mei. I am talking about _them_.” Hanzo’s voice rose as he leaned in, his eyes flashing. “I am talking about Talon, about _Oasis_ , about the... self-styled gods, changing the world, to their ideas of better! Isn't that _worse_ than anything my clan could ever do?"

Mei stood from her desk, pleading for her lover to understand. "But this _is_ about the ecopoint!"

"Not if you let them change you,” Hanzo insisted. “You will become one of them, whether you know it or not!"

Mei shook her head sharply. "Michael didn't! We know that now!"

Hanzo was unmoved. "He did."

"Not really,” Mei insisted. “We know why he made the decision to go with them, and he may have saved us by doing it! And Zarya didn't change at all! She's still Russian, first and foremost!"

"Is she? Do you _know?_ Does _she_ even, really, know?" He leaned further forward, as if physically trying to reach her, convince her, anything to make her change her mind. "If she was _truly_ loyal to her government, and they are planning something in secret... why did she tell you?"

"Because we are _friends!_ And even if we don’t know the exact details, it’s clear what her government is trying to do is very dangerous! She is _right_ to warn me, if they are afraid the omnium could lash out at us!"

“Are you trying to convince _me_ ," Hanzo demanded, "or yourself?”

"That is... that is not fair!" Mai leaned back, arms crossed. "You can be such a... a... shǎ zi sometimes!"

Hanzo slumped at the desk. "Mei. Please. Do not do this. You are risking... you could be throwing _yourself_ away." He looked back up again, angry, and afraid. "The person who wakes up may not even be you, afterwards, and... I do not want to lose you, Mei! How can you even _consider..._ "

Mei growled, and snapped off the connection. She loved him - very much - but he could be so _stupidly_ frustrating when he had made up his mind.

 _We will talk about this later_ , she thought. _He'll understand, when... when I can explain it clearly. When I'm stronger. When it’s finished. When I'm... **better**._

\-----

_[two months into the future - Mid-September, 2079]_

When Mei awoke

reborn

sapphire eyes drinking in the world

she tasted the water, and shuddered at its cold perfection

and heard Snowball chirping hello, waiting, beside her

and felt the warm touch of Lena's hand

and the cooler touch of Angela's

all of them, there

 _so happy_ to meet her again

and she felt so

_wanted_

and so

_cherished_

and she knew, as she had never known, maybe not ever, certainly not since waking up in Antarctica, alone, in the dark, in the cold, the only one to survive, that she would never...

ever...

ever...

...and then, as she didn't just know, but _understood_ , all at once, she sobbed, and everyone seemed so surprised, and so worried, but no, no, she explained, she wasn't sad, she was just so

_happy_

and so

_relieved_

...that she didn't even have the words to describe it, because, at long last, she knew

 _truly_ knew

...that she would never be _abandoned_ again.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the thirty-third instalment of _Of Gods and Monsters: The Arc of Ascension_. To follow this story, [subscribe to the series via this link](https://archiveofourown.org/series/972024), rather than to the individual works.


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